


Pumpkin Patch Proposal

by the_savage_daughter_0627



Series: Hauntober 2020 [1]
Category: Avatar: The Last Airbender
Genre: Alternate Universe, Alternate Universe - College/University, Alternate Universe - Modern Setting, Alternate Universe - No Powers, Autumn, Azula (Avatar) Needs a Hug, F/F, F/M, Fluff and Humor, Inspired by Avatar: The Last Airbender, Katara (Avatar)-centric, LGBTQ Female Character, Lesbian Azula (Avatar), Marriage Proposal, Minor Azula/Ty Lee (Avatar), One Shot, One Shot Collection, One True Pairing, POV Katara (Avatar), POV Zuko (Avatar), Romantic Fluff, Tooth-Rotting Fluff, Tumblr Prompt, Zuko (Avatar)-centric, Zuko is an Awkward Turtleduck, proposal
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-10-09
Updated: 2020-10-09
Packaged: 2021-03-08 03:48:26
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 3,223
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/26909143
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/the_savage_daughter_0627/pseuds/the_savage_daughter_0627
Summary: Zuko is a nervous wreck as he prepares to ask Katara to marry him.
Relationships: Katara/Zuko (Avatar), Sokka/Suki, Ty Lee/Azula
Series: Hauntober 2020 [1]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/1973365
Comments: 15
Kudos: 98





	Pumpkin Patch Proposal

**Author's Note:**

> Written for the Hauntober prompt "pumpkin", from Tumblr.
> 
> I'll be writing quite a few one-shots based off of those prompts this month. I won't write all 31 of them, though.
> 
> Special thanks to LadyFaePhillips/FireLadyFae for her work on this piece!

“Do you know what opens this weekend?”

Katara looked up from the anatomy book she was reading, curled up in the corner of the couch. She and Zuko were hanging out in her apartment after a long day of work and classes. There was an excited smile on Zuko’s face that he was trying, and failing, to conceal, and it put a smile on her own face. She closed the book and sat forward on the couch, resting her cheek on her hand. 

“I don’t. What’s opening this weekend?” she asked, although she already had an idea.

Zuko’s smile widened, and her heart warmed at the sight. She didn’t know how she had gotten so lucky. 

“The pumpkin patch,” he said.

Katara had been correct in her assumption, but she made a show of looking surprised and let out a little gasp. “That’s right! That _is_ this weekend, isn’t it?”

“Yup.” He rested his hand on her leg and gave it an affectionate squeeze. “I want to take you. You’ve been working so hard in school, and I think you deserve a little break.”

Katara smiled warmly at him. She closed the distance between them and kissed him. Zuko was so sweet and thoughtful. He knew she loved all things fall, and she loved going to the pumpkin patch every year.

“School has only been back in session for a month,” Katara told him with a smile. Her lips still tingled from his kiss.

The corner of his lips pulled up. “I know, and you’ve been working _very_ hard the entire time. So, is that a yes?” 

Katara pecked his lips again. “Yes.”

* * *

  
  


Zuko twirled the small navy-blue box in his hands as his heart drummed an erratic beat in his chest.

“We’re going to the pumpkin patch tomorrow,” he said. 

“You’re proposing at the pumpkin patch? Aww, that’s so romantic!” 

Zuko looked up and saw the dreamy look on Ty Lee’s face. The bubbly gymnast turned to Azula, seated beside her in the booth at the diner they all had lunch at once a week. His sister apparently already knew what Ty Lee was going to say, because she grimaced before she turned back to her girlfriend with a strained smile.

“When you propose to me, it better be _half_ as romantic as that, Zula,” Ty Lee said.

“Of course, darling,” Azula replied before she looked back at Zuko. “So, you’re finally popping the question, hm? Congratulations, brother. You’ve finally grown a pair.” It sounded like an insult, but then Azula smiled, actually _smiled_ , and said, “Looks like I won.”

Zuko frowned. “Won what?”

Azula stabbed at her salad with a fork. “The bet, of course.”

Zuko turned to Ty Lee, who pointedly refused to look at him. He arched his eyebrow at the girls.

“ _What_ bet?” Zuko prompted. 

Azula washed her food down with a sip of water. “We’ve all had a running bet on how long it would take for you to ask Katara to marry you. Once the two of you _finally_ started dating, that is. I bet three years. Guess what’s coming up?” She put on a smile that was akin to a sly fox, clearly pleased with herself.

Zuko scowled half-heartedly at his sister. His and Katara’s three-year anniversary was coming up next month. But he didn’t have the heart to be mad; the butterflies battering the walls of his stomach was all he could think about. 

“Do I even _want_ to know everyone else’s bet?” Zuko asked, but then he shook his head. “No, probably not.”

“I just want to let you know that _I_ had no part in it,” Ty Lee said.

Azula shrugged. She met his gaze. “Katara is a gorgeous, intelligent woman. You don’t deserve her, really. But I suppose if you’re what she wants, then I’m happy for you.”

“Azula!” Ty Lee scolded. “This is a super important moment for Zuko. Be nice!”

Azula rolled her eyes. “Alright, fine. I can’t stand it when you’re mad at me anyway.” She looked at Zuko and managed a half-smile. “I’m sorry, Zuzu. I’m sure Katara will be thrilled.”

“Thank you. That’s _much_ better.” Ty Lee planted a kiss on Azula’s cheek. Then she looked at Zuko. “Don’t be nervous. You’re going to do _fine._ And you _know_ she’s going to say yes.”

Zuko looked back down at the box in his hands with a nervous frown. “I hope so.”

* * *

  
  


“Which one? The red one, or the blue one?” 

Katara turned to Suki and held up two flannel shirts. She was fresh out of the shower with a towel wrapped around her and had spent the last fifteen minutes agonizing over what to wear. It was kind of stupid, because it was just the pumpkin patch, but Katara was fully into the spirit of autumn and she loved wearing flannels.

Suki was sprawled out across Katara’s bed scrolling on her phone instead of working on her thesis. Suki looked up and pursed her lips as she considered it.

“The blue one,” she finally said. 

Katara frowned at her wardrobe choices. “You sure? Zuko’s favorite color is red.”

“Unless it’s blue, and you’re wearing it.” Suki pushed herself into a sitting position. “I say blue, with those dark jeans and your brown boots. It’ll be the perfect outfit for picking pumpkins.”

“Well, okay. That combo _is_ cute on me, isn’t it?” Katara gathered her outfit and stepped into the master bathroom off of the bedroom. “Hey, do you and Sokka want to go? We could make it a double date.”

Suki, who had been the first to know of Zuko’s plan (because he had, of course, asked Katara’s best friend to help him find the perfect ring, and spirits, was that ring _perfect_ ), froze on the bed as she hurriedly came up with an excuse as to why she and Sokka couldn’t go.

“We can’t. Um...your brother has a stomach ache. He ate _way_ too many hot wings last night so he’s been uh, glued to the bathroom all day.” Suki was glad that Katara was in the bathroom so she couldn’t see the look on Suki’s face. She knew the excuse she just gave was pretty pathetic, but she hadn’t anticipated Katara’s offer, so she had panicked. “That’s why I’m, um, here to work on my thesis. That apartment does _not_ have enough circulation.”

“Gross.” Katara poked her head out of the bathroom. “I’m surprised Sokka hasn’t texted me about it. Ever since I started medical school, he treats me like I’m his personal doctor.” She disappeared back into the bathroom.

“I left him with some Pepto and air freshener. He’s fine.”

A few minutes later Katara emerged from the bathroom. She had left her hair down but had pinned her hair back with blue clips, and her face was free of makeup. Suki gave herself a mental pat on the back for how good the outfit looked. 

“How do I look?” Katara asked as she pirouetted.

“Gorgeous.” Suki beamed a smile at her.

There was a knock at the door.

“Ooh, that must be Zuko!” Katara shoved her feet into her boots and hurried from the room, calling over her shoulder, “You can stay here as long as you want, Suki!”

“Don’t worry. I’ll hold down the fort,” Suki called back. 

Katara went to the front door and pulled it open. Zuko stood on the other side, dressed in a red flannel, black jeans, and a pair of Doc Marten boots. She was glad she had gone with Suki’s suggestion of the blue flannel.

“Hey,” she greeted with a smile.

Zuko leaned in and kissed her. “Hey. You look great. Are you ready to go?”

“Yeah, just let me grab my purse.” She couldn’t stop smiling.

Katara grabbed her bag and they left her apartment. He took her hand as they walked the short distance to his car. Zuko opened her door for her before he went around to get in on his side. 

“I’m so looking forward to this,” Katara told him as he buckled up. “Midterms are almost here and I am _stressing._ ”

Zuko squeezed her knee. “I know you are. That’s why we’re going on a date.”

“Have I ever told you what an amazing boyfriend you are?” Katara inquired with a smile.

Zuko started the car, but before he shifted it into reverse, he looked over at her. “Constantly.”

“Well, that’s because you deserve to hear it. I appreciate you so much. Thank you for doing this.”

“You deserve it, Katara.” He cupped her cheek in his hand and stroked it lovingly with the pad of his thumb. “And I’m not the only one in this relationship who is amazing.”

Katara blushed, and he smiled as he backed out of the parking space. He didn’t know how he had gotten so lucky.

* * *

They arrived at the pumpkin patch and slowly started picking their way through the field. Zuko had anticipated this; he had gone to the pumpkin patch with Katara for years now. He knew she could spend hours searching for the perfect pumpkin—one that was big, but not _too_ big, round, but not _too_ round, and it had to be the _right_ shade of orange. In other words, it had to be perfect for carving.

Zuko didn’t mind waiting. He was happy so long as she was. And for today, Zuko was grateful that Katara was so pedantic when it came to her pumpkin. It gave him time to, in Azula’s words, _grow a pair_ , and propose.

He was going to do it, and he was pretty sure that Katara would say yes. He loved her, and she loved him. They’d been dating for almost three years and had been friends for much longer. They had talked about moving in together before, too, but had decided to wait until Katara was through with her residency. 

The decision was sound and based on all the right reasons. They didn’t know where she would be placed and Katara didn’t want him to uproot his life for her, although he would have done so without a second thought. Zuko knew he wanted to spend the rest of his life with her, and he was pretty sure that she felt the same way. So why was he so nervous? 

“Big, but not _too_ big,” Katara mused as she searched. They were strolling along, hand-in-hand. 

“Round, but not _too_ round,” Zuko added with a smirk.

Katara smiled back at him. “Exactly.” 

Spirits, he loved her. He had loved her long before he spoke the words, long before he had gotten the nerve to ask her to be his girlfriend. He had loved her since high school, when he had first seen her come into his uncle’s tea shop, but he’d never had the nerve to say hello. Then she had come in with her brother, and he’d roped Zuko into settling some argument between them. But a friendship had blossomed from there, and not just with the siblings, but with their _whole_ friend group. And eventually he’d brought his best friend, Ty Lee, into the fold, and finally, Azula too. 

As he thought about it, he realized a lot of the good things in his life could be traced back to Katara. 

But his thoughts were brought back to the present as Katara let go of his hand to inspect a pumpkin. She ran her hand over its surface before she set it back down.

“Too bumpy,” Katara remarked. She looked back at him. “I think I’d like you to carve a cat on mine this year. A black cat with its back arched. So we need a pretty big pumpkin.”

Katara loved carving pumpkins, but she wasn’t very good at it. Zuko, on the other hand, had a remarkable talent for it. So he had been carving her pumpkins for her. 

“A black cat, hm? Aren’t those bad luck?”

Katara rolled her eyes at him, but she was smiling. “That’s just a superstition, like breaking a mirror or walking under a ladder.”

“I broke a mirror once. And I actually did have nothing but bad luck afterwards.” His lips quirked. “That is, until I met you.”

A blush rose in her cheeks and she elbowed him playfully. “Get out of here.”

Zuko held his hands up in surrender and slowly started walking backwards away from her. “I mean, I’ll go if you want, but good luck walking home with your pumpkin.”

Katara giggled at him and reached for him, pulling him in close to her again, and Zuko’s smile widened. He’d never grow tired of making her laugh. 

They continued searching for the perfect pumpkin. It was a beautiful day, sunny and warm, but with a crisp bite in the air that whispered that autumn was coming. Zuko really couldn’t have picked a better day to do this, and he almost regretted not hiring a photographer to capture the moment. 

But he alone wanted to see the look on her face; he wanted to hold that memory in his heart to keep for himself, to look back on during times of trouble or stress. 

Zuko knew he needed to ask soon. Katara had been searching for a while and if she found the perfect pumpkin first, it would ruin it. He could feel the box resting in the pocket of his flannel, nestled against his heartbeat. 

“Ugh, I can’t _believe_ how hard it is to find a good pumpkin this year!” Katara growled in frustration.

This was it. His perfect moment.

“What about that one over there?” Zuko pointed to a pumpkin a few steps away. “It looks promising.”

Katara followed his finger. “Yeah, maybe.”

She walked ahead of him and Zuko held back. He took a deep breath and pulled the box out of his pocket. He watched as she bent over to inspect the pumpkin, her back to him. Katara picked it up and turned it over in her hands.

“I think we might have a winner. This one will look _so_ good with a cat on it—” 

Her words cut off when she turned around and saw him standing there with a small navy-blue box in his hands.

“Zuko?” Her eyes flickered to him. “Did you find something?”

Zuko smiled as he took a few steps closer to her, still holding the box in his hands. Katara knew exactly what that box looked like, but she couldn’t be sure. Maybe it wasn’t even his. Maybe he’d found it. She looked at Zuko curiously. Then he held the box up and flipped open the lid. Katara dropped the pumpkin and it rolled away, forgotten.

“Katara,” he began as a lump rose in his throat. “You are an amazing, kind, smart, beautiful person.”

Katara’s heart skipped a nervous beat in her chest as she realized that yes, that box was his and yes, he was definitely asking her exactly what she thought he was. 

“I don’t know how I'm lucky enough to call you mine, but I’m grateful every day you’re with me. You bring out the best in me, and I hope that I bring out the best in you.” 

Tears shone in her eyes. He was looking at her so sincerely, with so much love and adoration in his eyes. Katara couldn’t believe she was lucky enough to be loved by this man.

Zuko went on. “I think I do though, you know, since you’re so perfect.” Katara chuckled at that, as her hands came up to cover her mouth. “I have loved you since the days you used to spend at my uncle’s coffee shop with your nose in a textbook. I love how you find joy in the smallest things—a flower when I’m walking you home, or the way the moon looks. I love how much you care about people, and how you never turn your back on those who need you. You are so thoughtful and caring, and I know you’re going to make an amazing doctor one day.”

Zuko paused to take a breath. He smiled up at her as he sank down onto one knee. Katara couldn’t believe how beautiful the ring was, nestled into its velvet casing.

“Katara, I love you. And I want to spend every day of the rest of my life loving you. Will you marry me?”

He held his breath as the tears welled up in her eyes and spilled over her cheeks. She took one step, and then another toward him. 

“ _Yes_ ,” she said. “Oh my spirits, Zuko, _yes!_ ”

Katara held her hand out, and Zuko pulled the sapphire ring from its velvet case and slid it onto her left ring finger. He got to his feet, placing the box back into his pocket, and cupped her face in his hands. Zuko kissed her gently as his heart thundered in his ears. He had never felt so happy in his life.

Zuko pressed his forehead against hers when they broke the kiss. 

“I love you so much,” he murmured. 

“I love you too.” She looked up at him, her eyes shining with tears. 

He took her hand and admired the ring against her caramel skin. Suki had done an amazing job helping him pick it out. It had a sapphire with delicate diamonds set around it on a rose gold band. It was dainty, and perfectly Katara.

She followed his eyes to the ring. “It’s beautiful,” she said. 

He smiled. “Just like you.” 

Zuko leaned down and pressed a gentle kiss to her lips. He smiled at her before he gestured to her pumpkin.

“You might want to grab that,” he said.

“Oh, right.” Katara giggled. 

She went over and picked up her pumpkin. She turned back to him, ready to walk back, when he surprised her by coming over to her and scooping her up into his arms. Katara let out a little yelp of surprise. 

Zuko smirked down at her. “Let’s get this pumpkin home. I think we need to celebrate.”

Katara let out a laugh as Zuko started carrying her back. “I can’t wait to tell all of our friends. They have a bet, you know.”

Zuko gaped down at her. “You _knew?_ ”

“Of course.” Katara laughed again. “I know when my brother is up to something. He’s the _worst_ at keeping secrets.”

“How long have you known?”

Katara shrugged, a sheepish smile crossing her lips. She hadn’t told him because she didn’t want him to feel pressured about it. Katara had wanted Zuko to propose when _he_ was ready. “Oh, six months or so.”

Zuko arched his brow. “Well, then I guess I can tell you that Azula won.”

“Really? That’s surprising. I thought it would be Suki.”

Zuko chuckled. “Actually, Suki knew I was going to ask you. She helped me pick the ring.”

Realization dawned on Katara’s face. “Ah. So _that’s_ why she didn’t want to have a double date.” She looked up at him. “Well, I’m glad. I like how this went.”

Zuko chuckled again. “Me too.”

“Are you ready to become Mr. Doctor Katara?” she teased

Zuko grinned and pressed a kiss to her temple. “I can’t wait.”

Katara laughed, and Zuko knew he couldn’t wait to hear that sound every day for the rest of his life.


End file.
